TWC appears to have a hit with Wind River. The Sundance fest debut and second feature directing outing for Taylor Sheridan, starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, grossed over $164K in its initial four locations. Searchlight rolled out its Sundance acquisition Step in 29 theaters Friday to the tune of $145K. The two films headlined another fairly busy weekend of new Specialty roll-outs on par with the week prior which was headlined by Paramount/Participant Media’s Al Gore doc An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, which expanded to 180 theaters Friday. Annapurna’s Detroit is now wide too. Other weekend bows include self-distributed title Columbusin a pair of locations, taking in $29K, Gravitas Ventures’ Brave New Jersey, landing at over $14K in fourteen theaters, Purdie Distribution’s We Love You, Sally Carmichael!grossing over $34K in seven locations and FilmRise’s It’s Not Dark Yetat $1K in two theaters. Amazon Studios/Magnolia Pictures’ Landline crossed a half million dollars in its third weekend with an expansion.

The Weinstein Company opened Wind River, the second feature-length directorial from the multi-hyphenate Taylor Sheridan, who received an Oscar-nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Hell Or High Water this year. In four locations, Wind River grossed $164,167, giving it a very solid $41,042 per theater average, placing it in the top half-dozen of the year when measuring PTAs, just behind Beauty And the Beast which had a $41,508 PTA its first weekend, though that title was in several thousand theaters. Fellow Sundance debut The Big Sick still lays claim to the year’s best PTA so far at $84,315 when it opened in June.

“Taylor Sheridan has proven his voice. He takes his flag as an incredible filmmaker and writer,” said TWC COO/president David Glasser Sunday. “I think the numbers show that in a marketplace that has been generally sluggish, this is a movie that has [excited audiences]. It has had great word-of-mouth and reviews.”

The Weinstein Company

TWC said that 60% of its audience was over 35, skewing 53% female. It also said that Wind River had 70% ‘recommend,’ and exits showed 90% checking the top two boxes. “Now obviously the goal is to take a movie like this and find its legs with broader audiences, but a $40K average shows it has [potential].” Glasser said TWC will try and tap younger viewers and maintain its base as it heads to the top 20 markets in about 40 locations next week. Wind River will expand further August 18.

Fox Searchlight opened Sundance documentary Step in 29 theaters Friday. Directed by Amanda Lipitz, the film chronicles the senior year of a girls high school step dance team set in inner-city Baltimore. The title grossed $145K, averaging $5K Friday to Sunday.

Said Searchlight Sunday: “Reviews have been excellent and the reaction by the press and those who have seen the film has been very encouraging. With good word of mouth, the film should gain more momentum as we roll out over the next two to three weeks… We are very proud to be associated with this exceptional and empowering film.”

Searchlight said the film opened in “a variety of venues,” including art- & specialty houses like Lincoln Plaza in New York and the Landmark in West L.A. as well as mainstream multiplexes and locations primarily serving African American audiences. Step will head into 24 new markets next weekend, bringing its theater count to between 125 and 150 locations.

Superlative Films/Depth of Field

Sundance 2017 debut Columbus by first-time feature filmmaker Kogonada opened solidly in New York and Los Angeles locations Friday. Starring John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson, the self-distributed feature under the banner of Superlative Films/Depth of Field grossed $28,800, averaging $14,400. Producer Danielle Renfrew Behrens, who leads Superlative, which financed the project, said that traditional distributors were averse to taking on the film because they were not sure how to market the feature, which lead them to turn to the Sundance Creative Distribution Fellowship, which gives help to films it champions that self-release.

“It was frightening and exciting. I think everyone is desperate right now for a path forward,” said Behrens earlier this week. “I’ve learned a ton through this process and it will inform me in my future decisions with my company.” Columbus will head to several additional locations soon and will bow in title city Columbus, Indiana the following week.

Gravitas Ventures opened writer-director Jody Lambert’s Brave New Jersey in a day and date roll-out Friday. Theatrically, it took in $14,105 in fourteen locations, averaging $1,008. Gravitas said the title had “sold-out” showings over the weekend. It will head to additional markets later this month.

Paramount Pictures/Participant Media’s An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power went to 180 theaters over the weekend, up from its initial four runs in its debut. The climate change doc, coming over a decade after the Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth, grossed $900K, averaging $5,000. That brought its cume over seven figures, landing at $1,052,000. Its weekend gross placed it 15th in the overall box office as of Sunday morning. Paramount said it will expand the title to over 500 locations next weekend.

Well Go USA played Chinese war-drama Wolf Warrior 2 in 32 locations, a reduced run from its initial 53 theaters in its debut, though the title held solidly. The film grossed $460K, averaging $14,375, well up from its $4,132 opening average, an increase of 110%. At home in China, Well Go USA said the title has been “breaking records” and is on a “trajectory to be the highest-grossing film of all time in the market.”

A24’s Menashe, which had a solid bow last weekend in three theaters grossing $61,409 ($20,470 PTA) continued nicely in its second frame in ten locations. The film, set in the Hasidic community of Borough Park in Brooklyn, took in $80,317, averaging $8,032. A24 noted Sunday that the film had a 107% increase from Friday to Saturday with “sell-outs reported at multiple theaters.” Menashe will roll-out to more top markets this week.

Sony Pictures Classics added a dozen runs for Brigsby Bear in its second weekend, grossing $42,790 in 15 locations, averaging $2,853. It opened in three theaters last Friday grossing over $45K over the weekend, averaging $15,020. It has cumed $97,377.

Landline from Amazon Studios/Magnolia Pictures played over a hundred additional runs vs last weekend. In its third frame, the feature directed by Gillian Robespierre and starring Jenny Slate took in $240K, averaging $1,702. The prior weekend, it grossed $140K in 38 theaters ($3,684 average).

Music Box Films added 16 locations for French-language feature The Midwife with Catherine Deneuve. The film grossed $82,698 in 43 theaters, averaging $1,923. It grossed nearly $79K last weekend in 27 locations, averaging $2,992. It has cumed $225,548.